COMBINE cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon peel and vanilla in mixer bowl. BEAT on low speed until blended. BEAT on high speed until fluffy. ADD 5 eggs and 2 egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating after each addition until blended. ADD cream; beat until blended. POUR into chilled crust.

BAKE in center of 300°F oven until wooden pick inserted midway between center and edge of cake comes out clean, about 1-1/2 hours. Center will still be soft but will firm up as cheesecake cools.

Insider Info

Top this classic dessert with fresh raspberries and kiwi slices or prepared cherry or blueberry pie filling.

Vanilla wafer crumbs: Process wafers in blender or food processor, or place in plastic bag, seal bag and crush with rolling pin or flat side of meat pounder.

Room temperature cheese: To avoid lumps in the batter, take cream cheese out of refrigerator ahead of time, allowing it time to come to room temperature. In a pinch you can soften in the microwave a few seconds, but don’t overheat.

Room temperature eggs: Using eggs that aren’t refrigerator-cold prevents the fat in the cream cheese from re-hardening and making the batter look curdled or lumpy.

For a smooth uniform batter, scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters frequently with a rubber scraper.

When is it done? Like other baked custards, cheesecake should be removed from the oven before the center is completely set. The center will jiggle slightly when pan is gently shaken. Cheesecake will continue to “cook” after it’s removed and center will firm up as it cools. Overbaked cheesecake will crack.

Carefully loosen the side when cake first comes out of oven. The cake will shrink away from the pan as it cools. Cracks are less likely to form if cake is not stuck to side of pan.

For easier slicing, use a thin-bladed knife. Wipe knife with clean damp towel, or rinse knife under warm water, after each cut.